8th May was World Thalassemia Day and like every
year the day was supposed to go unnoticed in the calendars of the Bangladeshis
owing mostly to the fact that the people here have few or no
idea about the word Thalassemia itself, let alone knowing details. This
year, a voluntary group TAG (Thalassemia Awareness Group), dedicated to aware
the people about Thalassemia- the life threatening disease it is and its
consequences, arranged a day long program at University of Dhaka, Faculty of
Business Studies premises on the 11th of May. The program included a seminar on
“Thalassemia – Patient Health and Importance of Prevention in Bangladesh”, a
rally, blood donation campaign supported by Bangladesh Thalassemia Foundation
and booth for testing Thalassemia carriers through a blood test supported by
Dhaka Medical College.
When asked about the background of such initiative by
TAG, Mrs. Sonia Rezina Islam- one of the 4 founding members of TAG, named her
husband as the torch bearer. He is a
Thalassemia patient.
“It all started back in 2008. My husband, a friend back
then, was admitted into DMC for his spleen operation. His attendee - Asst
Professor of Hematology department, Dr. Mizanur Rahman suggested that since we
knew about the disease, we should take a stand make other people know. We took
his advice and at first learnt well about Thalassemia, formed a group and
started doing class presentations on Thalassemia at Dhaka University’s Faculty
of business studies and the celebration of World Thalassemia Day program is
part of what we are trying to do- aware people”.
In future they want their awareness
program to go across the country. “Our main targets are the Kazi’s, Priests and
Pandits. We have this plan to teach them well about the disease so that before
performing a wedding they could talk to the bride and groom to take the
Electrophoresis HB test before having kids”- she shares.
Even if we ignore the sufferings of the patients of
Thalassemia, there is always this financial aspect to think of. This disease is
very expensive, costing about 6 to 7 thousands taka for a child and the cost
grows with the child. Most people cannot afford it and hence have no other way
but to see their children suffer and die before their own eyes, very few are as
lucky as Sonia’s husband who is fighting against all the odds. It is always
better to prevent than cure and a small blood test can save us from a life long
suffering. Sonia conforms saying- “Don’t
let your child suffer for your ignorance. Do a simple test”
